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WorkOfArts Art Advice 7

Hey guys! I love giving art advice or critique. I can only give advice and critique to the best of my knowledge and ability, though. I've never taken an art class or had any type of formal training, so things I say might be different from what you may have been taught.

If you want critique, feel free to post below or send me a PM!

[header]Art Advice #7[/header]

[b]Speed in art will come to you naturally[/b]

I always hear people say "[i]I want to get faster at drawing[/i]" or "[i]I want to learn how to quickly draw something amazing[/i]." This mindset is the wrong way to go. Trying to draw faster will only make you ignore certain details, frustrate you, and give you a product that is much worse than your actual potential.

Instead, try to draw the best thing possible without setting a time limit. Don't even pay attention to time. If it takes 20 hours the so be it. I once took 22 hours just to draw a head and hair and my god that thing looked horrendous. Now I can draw a full head, body, clothes, accessories, details, and background pieces in less than 10 hours. Speed comes to you as you get used to things. Steps that took you 1 hour in the past will take you 10 minutes as you get better.

But you can only get better if you try your hardest at what's important, and that's the quality of your art.

Do note, however, this does not mean you should never try to draw fast. You can use speeddrawing/speedpainting to help you get a better understanding of the form, feel, and flow of the drawing. It's useful when practicing gestures, and it's useful when you want to explore concepts and your creativity. Or when you just want to take a break and draw for 30 minutes. Speedpainting is very helpful. But you have to use it correctly... use it to unleash creativity and simplicity, not to practice your anatomy, colors, or values.

[header]Summary version[/header]
Quit trying to draw faster for the sake of drawing faster. Speed-paint to unleash creativity. Don't speed-paint when you're practicing anatomy, colors, values. Don't speed-paint when trying to draw something serious. It isn't gonna help you.